Our Community
Community Science represents a network of leading community development practitioners and scientists in the United States and Europe, with offices in Maryland, Italy and Portugal. Our staff members are knowledgeable and experienced in a wide range of methods for supporting and evaluating community initiatives. Our staff has worked with diverse populations, both geographically and culturally, including African Americans, Asian Americans, Latin Americans, Native Americans, and Pacific Islanders in rural and urban environments.
In addition to our staff and a national network of collaborating consultants, we have a core group of senior consultants who are widely recognized for their commitment and comprehensive work in providing research support, technical assistance, training, and grants management support in various substantive areas, including organizational and community capacity building, community organization, health promotion, violence prevention, substance abuse prevention, intergroup relations, cultural diversity and immigrant integration. We also maintain our professional relations through involvement in several professional associations, including the American Evaluation Association, American Public Health Association, Association for Community Organization and Social Administration, National Community Building Network, and Society for Community Research Action.
Principal Associates:
David Chavis, Ph.D., is Principal Associate/CEO of Community Science (formally the Association for the Study and Development of Community). He is internationally recognized for his work in the implementation, support, and evaluation of community initiatives, including a distinguished career award from the American Psychological Association and the Outstanding Evaluation of the Year Award by the American Evaluation Association (AEA) with Kien Lee. The primary topic of his work and scientific publications has been the relationship between community development and the prevention of poverty, violence, substance abuse, illness and other social problems through community capacity building. He has lead the evaluation of placed based comprehensive community initiatives concerning substance abuse and community development at the national and local levels for the White House Office for National Drug Control Policy, US Department of Justice, US Center for Substance Abuse Prevention, National Cancer Institute, Annie E. Casey Foundation, The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and several other national and local foundations. He has also designed, managed, and implemented capacity building systems for community change initiatives. Before founding Community Science, David Chavis has been a community organizer, community development corporation executive director, director of large university research and public service center, and tenured university professor. He has been an officer and Board member of AEA and other nonprofit organizations. His current work focuses on the how to integrate innovation into the community change practices in order to have maximum impact at the appropriate scale. RESUME || EMAIL
Paul Florin, Ph.D., is a Professor of Psychology at the University of Rhode Island and an Adjunct Professor of Epidemiology at Brown University. For the past twenty-five years, he has been the director of the Community Research and Services Team (CRST) of the Department of Psychology of the University of Rhode Island. The CRST has, partnering with other community and state level organizations, procured over 37 million dollars in federal and foundation funding, 85% of which has been distributed directly to Rhode Island communities. Several five-year projects have been broad collaborative initiatives, involving the CRST, twenty to thirty-five Rhode Island communities and multiple state agencies. These collaborations have produced impacts such as Rhode Island becoming the seventh state in the nation to go “smoke free” with following declines in smoking prevalence and uptake and, more recently, significant state-wide declines (beyond secular trends) in underage drinking. The CRST publishes its evaluation studies, focused on training and technical assistance systems which build the capacity of communities and governmental units to plan, implement and evaluate prevention and health promotion interventions. Dr. Florin has also been a consultant around the design of community based prevention programs and training and technical assistance systems to national and international organizations including the National Cancer Institute, Center for Substance Abuse Prevention, American Legacy Foundation, Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, the Ministry of Health for the Providence of Ontario, Canada and the Center for Maori Studies, University of Waikato, New Zealand. RESUME || EMAIL
Scott Hebert, MCP, Principal Associate. Over the past twenty years, Mr. Hebert’s professional work has principally focused on evaluation and knowledge-building efforts. Mr. Hebert has conducted a wide range of evaluations, concentrating particularly on comprehensive community change (CCI), workforce development, and economic development initiatives. For the past six years, for example, he has been one of the key members of the cross-site Evaluation Team for the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s Making Connections initiative, which was designed to improve community conditions and results for families and kids in tough neighborhoods. Mr. Hebert also previously directed the national evaluation of the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s Jobs Initiative, a ten-year effort to improve the employment and economic outcomes of disadvantaged young adults and families through workforce development system reform. He also served as Project Director and Co-Principal Investigator for the national evaluation of the Empowerment Zones and Enterprise Communities (EZEC) Program for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. In addition to his evaluation work, however, Mr. Hebert has more than a dozen years of experience as a practitioner in the design and implementation of community revitalization programs at the local and state levels. He served as Director of the Massachusetts Small Cities CDBG Program, and as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Housing Operations for the Massachusetts Executive Office of Communities and Development. He also served as the executive director of a regional anti-poverty agency for five years. Building on this practical experience and his extensive knowledge of best practices, Mr. Hebert has provided strategic planning and technical assistance services to a wide range of community initiatives and local and state agencies over the past two decades. He also has co-authored a number of guidebooks and training manuals for federal and state agencies and philanthropies, as well as a wide range of evaluation reports and publications synthesizing the learnings from initiatives. Mr. Hebert has a Master of City Planning degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. RESUME || EMAIL
Kien Lee, Ph.D., Principal Associate, is a co-founder of Community Science and directs, manages and provides research, evaluation, and other types of technical support to national and local community change initiatives. She has directed and implemented evaluations on institutional capacity building, intergroup relations, immigrant integration and cultural competency, as well as led numerous community and organizational assessments. She has worked with community-based organizations to transform research into practical knowledge to inform their change strategies. She has presented at national conferences on evaluating and providing capacity building support to cross-cultural community efforts. She was the recipient, along with David Chavis, of the 2002 Outstanding Evaluation Award from the American Evaluation Association. She is widely published and a sought after speaker in areas including immigration integration and cross-culturally competent evaluation. RESUME || EMAIL
Ricardo Millett, Ph.D., Principal Associate, brings a formidable background to Community Science in providing program evaluation and strategic planning consultant services to foundations and non-profits. He was formerly President of The Woods Fund in Chicago, where he developed and implemented a strategic grantmaking plan for the foundation that served it well in responding to the needs of Chicago least advantaged. Prior to the Woods Fund Dr. Millett was Director of Program Evaluation for the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. There, he focused on building greater communication and collaboration between evaluation and program staff to maximize the use of evaluation as an integral part of programming. Before joining the Kellogg Foundation, Dr. Millett served as senior vice president of planning and resource management for the United Way of Massachusetts Bay in Boston. There, he was responsible for planning, allocation, and distribution of organizational resources to meet the needs of greater Boston. RESUME || EMAIL
Senior Associates:
LaKeesha N. Woods, Ph.D., Senior Associate, has extensive experience providing program development, evaluation, and consultation services in clinical and community psychology. Her research has focused on cultural influences on the development and functioning of youth and families of color; and culturally congruent preventive interventions for youth placed at risk. She has provided clinical services to individuals in inpatient, outpatient, in-home, alternative school, and prison settings; and evaluation and consultation services to children and youth, family violence, and prisoner reentry programs. Dr. Woods currently serves as an evaluator on The Colorado Trust’s Equality in Health Initiative, ONDCP’s Drug-Free Communities Support Program, OJJDP’s National Safe Start Demonstration Project, and the Annie E. Casey Foundation Plain Talk Initiative. RESUME || EMAIL
Managing Associates:
Amber Golden, Ph.D. - Managing Associate. Dr. Golden's current evaluation work involves providing technical assistance, project management, research and evaluation support. Her evaluation interests include community and systems change, health equity, health disparities, and the theory, methodology, and practice of program evaluation. She also has research experience and interests related to the influence of social support and network influences on holistic health and well-being in youth and adults, adolescent transition to adulthood, and intergenerational communication on values, health, and identity in families Dr. Golden uses qualitative and quantitative research methods in her work and has advanced training in measurement and statistics. Dr. Golden’s training includes participation in the American Evaluation Association Graduate Diversity Internship program and the National Institutes of Health Minority International Research Training Program. She provided technical assistance and evaluation services to Communities in Schools, Inc. of Florida. Dr. Golden has also worked internationally assessing psychosocial and social determinants of stress and chronic disease in various local populations in Harare, Zimbabwe. Her research and evaluation interests are undergirded by her experience as a clinician. She has worked in community based settings to provide mental health therapeutic and psychological testing services to children, adults, and families. RESUME || EMAIL
Julia Lee, Ph.D., Managing Associate, has experience in research, evaluation and health promotion in community settings. She has provided technical support for several health and social science research projects on health disparities, intimate partner violence, and community development. Ms. Lee has also worked extensively with community organizations, coalitions, as well as local schools on program evaluation and evaluation capacity building by providing technical assistance, education, and training on monitoring and evaluation, measurement, data collection, and reporting. She has served as the local evaluator for national and state-wide programs, such as the 21st Century Community Learning Centers and the Strategic Prevention Framework-State Incentive Grant. She currently provides technical and logistical support to research and evaluation projects on health equity, health disparities, and immigration integration. RESUME || EMAIL
Susanna Shapiro, MS, Managing Associate, has worked for over 10 years to strengthen civil society organizations and grassroots movements through capacity building (technical assistance, peer learning, coaching and mentoring), community organizing, evaluation, and social change grantmaking. She is passionate about facilitating connections and trust-based relationships across cultural lines to advance economic and social justice.
As a program officer at Pact, Ms. Shapiro supervised a final evaluation for a democracy and governance program in Central America. She also provided technical and operational support to country programs in Swaziland, Lesotho, Malawi and a regional program based in El Salvador. Prior to joining Pact, she was the Program Officer for Latin America and the Caribbean at the Global Fund for Children (GFC), where she spearheaded GFC's first Organizational Development Handbook. Ms. Shapiro has designed, implemented, and evaluated development initiatives in Jamaica, Ghana, India, Brazil, and Central America. She has also facilitated in national and international settings, including at multi-grantee knowledge exchange workshops and organization-wide retreats. From 2004-2008, Ms. Shapiro worked as a consultant in the World Bank’s Social Development Department and the Safeguards Advisory Team. Prior to that, she served as an at-risk youth advisor in the Peace Corps/Jamaica and worked with Foundation for International Community Assistance (FINCA) in Peru and Ecuador. RESUME || EMAIL
LeKesha Perry, MA, MPPA, Managing Associate. Located in Mississippi, Ms. Perry supports the evaluation and evaluation-related capacity building effort for the W.K. Kellogg Foundation’s place-based work in the State of Mississippi. She works closely with the rest of the evaluation team to deliver training and technical assistance services related to evaluation and information management and use, as well as collects, analyzes, and reports on evaluation data. She is integral to ensuring that the evaluation design and implementation of the Kellogg Foundation’s work in Mississippi occurs within the context of the state’s history and current social, economic, and political dynamics. Ms. Perry has experience working with local elected and non-elected leaders in communities across the state to address policy change. She has conducted trainings for a wide range of people, from municipal officials to citizens on topics such as civic education and leadership development. She supervised students in Mississippi State University’s Master of Public Policy Capstone Program; the students worked on projects that dealt with a variety of issues, such as community change, voter participation, and education disparities. RESUME || EMAIL
Associates:
Vera S. Miles, MA, Associate, has more than ten years of diverse experience in the mental health field, in both clinical and analytical capacities. On the clinical side, she has conducted clinical assessments, provided crisis intervention counseling, conducted risk assessments and mental health intakes, and provided therapy to adolescents and adults. On the analysis side, she implements evaluation procedures, maintains information management systems, and provides technical support and assistance. She is experienced at collecting and analyzing data for evaluations via surveys, interviews and focus groups, ensuring quality and consistency of data. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from Dowling College, NY, and holds a Master of Arts degree in Psychology from Adelphi University, NY. Her dedicated work in mental health advocacy, crisis intervention and analysis has resulted in positive life outcomes for clients. RESUME ||EMAIL
Angel Coleman, MA, Associate, has ten years of experience combining research and practice to develop impactful community development programs and policies. Ms. Coleman’s interest is in long-term, comprehensive approaches that invest in human capital, strengthen communities and improve systems for lasting change. To that end, she has worked with community residents, small businesses, elected officials, and the media to advance strategies and policies that lead to greater impacts for the people and places that are typically underserved and underrepresented at the political and economic decision-making table. Prior to joining Community Science she worked on a team that conducted research and developed recommendations to support governors and other state leaders working to improve conditions in urban areas. She also provided research, policy analysis, and recommendations for groups across the United States advocating for local and state policies to facilitate economic development. In another role as executive director of a nonprofit organization focused on community revitalization, Ms. Coleman created and managed a strategic organizational and programmatic growth plan which resulted in the organization’s increased visibility, reputation, and effectiveness. She prioritized research and evaluation to create and continuously improve programs ultimately leading to better outcomes. Understanding the importance of capacity building to program success her efforts also focused on building the human resources, funding and relationships to complement programmatic growth. She has also been an effective community organizer, adept at understanding community needs and designing responsive programs and policies at the neighborhood, city and state levels. RESUME || EMAIL
Andrea Campos Altuner, Associate, Ms. Campos Altuner draws upon her academic, professional, and life experiences in the health and human sciences as well as the multi-cultural and linguistic arenas. She has provided logistical and technical support to the Grant Review Office of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration for incoming applications submitted in response to Requests for Funding Announcements. She has assisted in coordinating the grant review process by reviewing applications for grant programs to determine eligibility and conformance to government guidelines and requirements, through the utilization of survey methodologies to review, interpret, and analyze responses to program grantee questionnaires and communicated with program grantees to provide counsel and clarification of program requirements. Her focus is affecting positive global change through work and collaboration with local, national, and international communities, on projects that address current social and economic issues, especially in emerging Latin American countries, that lead to effective policy. RESUME || EMAIL
Abigail R Baum, MPH, MSW, Associate, coordinates projects and provides research for the development, implementation and evaluation of community change interventions. Ms. Baum has experience in designing comprehensive community development strategies and evaluating community health programs. Her research has focused on measuring community health and sustainability. She has worked on a federally funded evaluation of diabetes coalitions in rural Appalachia, designed health initiatives for a public housing complex in the Anacostia neighborhood, and helped the St. Louis Metropolitan Planning Organization coordinate regional sustainability planning to ensure that they address the physical and social health issues of the region. RESUME || EMAIL
Administrative Staff:
Roan R. Bennett Director of Business Operations, manages the organization’s financial, contract administration, human resource management, office operations and business development functions. Prior to joining Community Science Mr. Bennett spent the last 4 years with the Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration where he was the Planning and Capital Programming Division Manager. As a Planning and Capital Programming Division Manager he was responsible for initiating, developing and managing the planning and capital programming process for the MVA. He was also responsible for developing and maintaining the Strategic Business Plan, Service Delivery Plan and related master-planning processes and programs to meet MVA goals and objectives. Mr. Bennett has also worked as a transportation consultant on a variety of projects, for State and Federal Transportation Organizations, providing project management, policy and technical support. Mr. Bennett received a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Stonehill College. EMAIL
Jane Taff, Office Manager, is responsible for the company’s office administration and report production. She supports staff on human resource topics, manages all travel, plans meetings and events, and assists the Director of Business Operations with financial and administrative duties. Before joining Community Science, she was the Operations Manager of Hassle Free Home Improvements, with responsibility for human resource management, accounts payable and receivable, and overall office management. She also spent thirteen years working for IBM Credit Corp in several capacities. EMAIL
ITALIA NETWORK OFFICE
Martini Associati, located in Lucca, Italia. WEBSITE || EMAIL
PORTUGAL NETWORK OFFICE
Associação Portuguesa para o Estudo e Desenvolvimento Comunitário, located in Lisbon, Portugal. || EMAIL
